Coleophoridae

37.009 Birch Case-bearer Coleophora milvipennis Zeller, 1839

Local

Similar species:

Forewing: 5 to 6mm

Habitats: Deciduous woodland, scrub, heathland and fens.

Habits:

Foodplant: The larva feeds on birches. It initially makes a blotch mine which it cuts away to form its first case, it then feeds on the underside of a leaf. It soon outgrows its case and cuts a new one from the leaf margin. The third and final slender, tubular and bivalved case is 8 to 11mm long, m.o. at a 45° angle. It mostly overwinters full-fed in the axils of stems or leaf buds, but some feed in the spring before pupating in early May.